Richelle Stephens has won the 2021 MA Sorensen Award for women's collegiate rugby Player of the Year and Emmanuel Albert has won the 2021 Rudy Scholz Award for men's collegiate rugby Player of the Year.

Stephens, the starting flyhalf for the Lions for five years and captain on six, 15's and sevens national championship teams for Lindenwood, recently graduated with a degree in Paramedicine.  She was voted Player's Player by her teammates multiple years and is a USA Rugby D1 Elite All-American.

Lindenwood Women's Head Coach Billy Nicholas raved about the impact of Stephens on the program.

"Richelle has been an outstanding leader during her tenure at Lindenwood.  She motivates and inspires others around her, and takes the time to work with her teammates outside of practice to assist with their growth," he said.  "For that reason, she has been our captain the last several years, leading our program to multiple 15's and sevens national championships.  Richelle sets the tone during match day, and she knows when to speak and what to say to garner the attention of her teammates and focus them.  There are very few players that I've had the pleasure of coaching that command as much respect as Richelle does with her team, and from other programs."  

Stephens played for Team USA in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio shortly after graduating from Fallbrook High School in California.  She is a USA Sevens Eagle and part of the USA High Performance Player Pathway.  Stephens was selected as the 2021 MA Sorensen Award winner from a list of four finalists determined by a panel of coaches and experts, and votes from the rugby public.  She is the second Lion to receive the honor after MacKenzie Hawkins won the award in 2018.

Emmanuel Albert is the first Lion to earn the Scholz Award.   The Lindenwood senior heralds from Eagan, Minnesota and started playing in high school leagues.  Lindenwood Men's Head Coach

Josh Macy praised his player.

"Emmanuel's standards in contact training make our entire team better," Macy said.  "He's a bad man in a small space and when we buckle up for contact training, it's his grid that want-to-be tough guys gravitate toward.  Looking at lots of other players in our team who come through the year, you can trace some of their improvement to creating those sparks while sharpening irons with Emmanuel." 

Macy recalled seeing Albert's leadership when he was just a freshman.

"We had a development side playing a local tournament of regional men's clubs and we were pretty lazy in our warm-up," Macy said.  "Our coaching staff, rather than step in, gave some space to see if any of the young players would speak up and raise the standard.  Emmanuel, who was pretty introverted in personality at this point, called everyone in and did not mince words.  He reminded everyone that wearing a Lindenwood jersey doesn't mean a thing without high standards.  Taking a step back was probably the best decision we made that day as coaches."

Lindenwood captain and second row partner Marcus Spangenberg described his partnership with Albert.

"We've been locking together since we both arrived and we're like a married couple," Spangenberg noted.  "We call ourselves 'The Combo.'  Emmanuel is so reliable on both attack and defense and our relationship works because of the countless hours of hard work he puts in to better himself.  He is deserving of every accolade he gets nominated for."

Former Lions also chimed in with praise for Albert.

"Emmanuel is the perfect picture of a collegiate rugby player," said Michael De Waal, current player for the Austin Gilgroni.  "He was exceptional raw material, but he took every opportunity to learn the game and turn into the top player he is.  He ticks all the boxes as a great defender, great ball runner, and excellent line out option."

Cristian Rodriguez, now playing for the LA Giltini, echoed those sentiments.

"Emmanuel couldn't be more deserving of this award," Rodriguez said.  "Playing with him when he was younger, I knew he'd be something special, and he proves it every day through his hard work.  His actions speak louder than words."

Despite all the praise, Albert was humble in accepting the award.

"It's truly a blessing to be voted the Rudy Scholz Award winner," he said.  "I honestly wouldn't be able to be the player I am today without the support of my family, friends, and coaches.  Winning this award is truly an honor; it means a lot to me.  Not only does it prove that hard work pays off, but also that the little things you do on and off the field don't go unnoticed."  

Albert was selected as the 2021 Rudy Scholz Award winner from a final list of five players determined by a panel of coaches and experts, and votes from the rugby public.  

The Rudy Scholz and MA Sorensen Awards are presented by the Washington Athletic Club each year.  The men's honor is named after Rudy Scholz who played at Santa Clara and won two Gold Medals in the 1920 and 1924 Olympics.  The women's honor is named after Maryanne Sorensen who won a Rugby World Cup with the USA in 1991.  She was also a trailblazing player in college at William & Mary.